Tacoma Rail
Encyclopedia
Tacoma Rail is a shortline railroad
. It is operated as a public utility
and owned by the city of Tacoma, Washington
as part of the municipally-owned Tacoma Public Utilities
service. It provides rail services for freight switching. It is one of the largest short-line railroad systems in the United States
, operating 18 diesel locomotive
s and over 200 miles of track, many of which are former Milwaukee Road and BNSF Railway
lines around Western Washington.
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
. It is operated as a public utility
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
and owned by the city of Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
as part of the municipally-owned Tacoma Public Utilities
Tacoma Public Utilities
Tacoma Public Utilities is the public utility service for Tacoma, Washington. It was formed in 1893, and is made up of Tacoma Power, Tacoma Water, Tacoma Rail, and the Click! Network television cable service. Tacoma Public Utilities is the largest department in Tacoma City government, employing...
service. It provides rail services for freight switching. It is one of the largest short-line railroad systems in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, operating 18 diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s and over 200 miles of track, many of which are former Milwaukee Road and BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
lines around Western Washington.